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Show Gilsonite Takes Place As Important Utah Product i; & - i Part of surface plant of American Gilsonite Company south of Vernal, where operations are being expanded. Virtually a new industry has been born out of an old resource in the desert plateau region of eastern Utah, with the application of scientific scien-tific research and mechanization of of mining operations. The resource is Gilsonite, first discovered in Utah in about 1885, by a man by the name of Samuel Gilson, a prospector. At first not even the Greeks had a name for the product: it was new to the mineral world. Finally someone suggested that they call the black glittering stuff Gilsonite after Mr. Gilson. Gilsonite is a rarity. It is found in only one area in the. world and that is an area rouirhly 90 miles long and 30 miles wide in Utah is Unitah basin, a small part extend- ing across the state line into Western Wes-tern Colorado. It looks like a cross between coal and tar. but is harder and more -brittle than the latter and has a much hisrher melting point. It is mined like ooa! and coke can be made from the black product. Deposits De-posits are found in vertical -fissures and to date has not been found in beddings replacing limestone or pools. Development of gilsonite was slow, due to the lack of adequate research, the hand methods employed em-ployed in mining and the remote location of the productive region. The real expansion in the Gilsonite market took n'ace in 1942 when the Standard Oil Company of Cali-, Cali-, fornia entered the field joining the Barber Asphalt Company in the formation of the, American Gilsonite Gilson-ite Com nan v. The Standard Oil of Calif., with its extensive facilities began ap plying research and sales development develop-ment to the black bitumen. As a result production is increasing and the American Company is still engaged en-gaged in a program of mine mechanization mech-anization and expansion. The product is very versatile, being water proof and acid proof and makes a perfect insulator. The largest single use at present is in battery cases, electrical parts, and other moulded articles. It is an ingredient of varnishes, enamels, ashphalt plastics, acid and weather resisting plaints, goes into floor tile, building paper and roofing, It is also used in several kinds of wax, in printing inks, sound prof-ing prof-ing and insulating compounds, in Mastic floor and pipe coverings. Recently it has been used as a rubber rub-ber extender and mixed with certain cer-tain road oils. Bonanza, where the product is mined, is situated about 50 miles southeast of Vernal, and has grown to a community of about 250 persons. per-sons. Last year nearly 50,000 tons were mined from the district and it is estimated that American Gil-sonite's Gil-sonite's Bonanza area holdings alone contain more than 20,000, 000 tons. Entrance of the Standard Oil Company of Calif, into the development develop-ment of gilsonite and the degree of success that has been achieved, has fused the entire gilsonite area into increased activity; The Company" has - established offices in Salt Lake City with C. F. Hansen, president, representing Standard Oil Company of California, Califor-nia, and C. E. Morris, secretary-treasurer, secretary-treasurer, representing the Barber interests. |